Digital Trends

MSI GeForce FX5700-VT2DR256

May 20th, 2004 | by Ian Bell

Introduction

MSI's GeForce FX5700-VT2DR256 video card is one of only a handful of cards on the market supporting dual DVI outputs. This is very unique for a mid-level graphics card because the emphasis for the VT2DR256 is on gaming and multimedia applications, not AutoCAD and other workstation related programs typically associated with having two digital displays.

Besides the unique dual-DVI outputs, MSI also includes a remote control and one of the best software packages we have seen from a video card manufacturer. Powered by the Nvidia Geforce FX 5700 GPU, the VT2DR256 is priced just under $200 and has a lot to offer the casual gamer or computer user looking for a dual display setup.

Features and Design

A fact of the video card market is that there often isn't much to differentiate different manufacturer's offerings when they are all based on a handful of designs. They all utilize the same graphics chip and typically are just a few dollars away from each other in price. When it comes to rankings and ratings, the card that runs your games the fastest usually is considered the best.

So what does a manufacturer do to separate their graphics cards from the competition, especially if their product isn't the fastest on the market? They offer more value in the form of included games, software, cooling solutions or added peripherals. This is exactly what MSI has done with their VT2DR256 graphics card. Not only did they add dual DVI capability, but they also added video-in and TV-out to the card. For those of you who do not have DVI capabilities on your video card, MSI includes a DVI-to-VGA adapter so you can use this video card with your existing monitor.

MSI's VT2DR256 video card features dual DVI output and a remote control

Powering the VT2DR256 is Nvidia's Geforce FX 5700 .13u GPU (graphical processessing unit) with a core clock speed of 425MHz, 256MB of Samsung DDR memory clocked at 500MHz, and 8X AGP support. The Nvidia GPU used in this card is rather impressive when it comes to resolutions. DVD and HDTV MPEG-2 content is decoded at up to 1920x1080, (1080i). And of course this card is DirectX 9 compatible so you can take advantage of the DX 9.0 Pixel and Vertex shading.

If you are wondering how you would control all of those video in and out features, MSI packages a remote control and their Media Center Deluxe II software. Other software packaged with the VT2DR256 includes full copies of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind, Duke Nukem Manhattan Project, InterVideo WinDVD 5.1, InterVideo WinDVD Creator Plus, and a 7-in1 games CD.